Looks like Lazich won't be recalled, either

The recall campaign against state Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) said Monday afternoon that it likely won't have enough signatures to force her into a recall election.

Kevin Clark, one of the recall group's organizers, said by his figuring the group came up about 2,000 signatures short of the 20,973 it needed for the election. The deadline for submitting the signatures is 5 p.m. Monday, and Clark said the group probably wouldn't make it, though the final call is with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

That's the second campaign against a Republican state senator that announced Monday it wouldn't have enough signatures. The recall effort against Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), made a similar announcement in the morning.

Signatures have been filed to recall six other Republican and three Democratic state senators in the bitter fighting over Gov. Scott Walker's budget initiatives. One other recall campaign, against Sen. Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point), is still collecting signatures.

In a release from the Lazich recall campaign, the group said it was "reorienting toward the future," adding that top priorities include the recall of Walker, who won't be eligible to be recalled until next January.

"Quite simply, every signature is a victory," said Elizabeth Galewski, quoted in the release, referring to the strong Republican nature of the district. "And we have collected thousands and thousands of signatures. We have also built an impressive network of savvy and energized citizens who are devoted to the long-term goal of retaking the 28th State Senate district."

Lazich said she wouldn't be sure she'd avoided a recall until the state Government Accountability Board opens its doors Tuesday and finds that no-one had filed petitions at the end of business Monday.

She also said recall campaigns -- in addition to work on the state budget and a big increase in constituent communications -- were spreading senators very thin.

"I've been very fortunate to represent the constituents of the 28th Senate District, and i hope that continues," she said.